Spring support for railway cars



June 25, 1929. w, c wH c ET AL 1,718,446

SPRING SUPPORT FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Jan. 6, 1928 I nae/1F 11s Patented June 25, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM C. WHITCOMB AND WILLIAM F. ECKERT, OF ROCHELLE, ILLINOIS, AS- SIGNORS TO GEO. I). WHITCOMB COMPANY, OF ROCHELLE, ILLINOIS, A CORPORA- 'IION OF ILLINOIS.

SPRING SUPPGRI FOR RAILVAY CARS.

Application filed January 6, 1928. Serial No. 244,902.

This invention relates to spring supports for railway cars and has more particular reference to a spring support especially adapted for gasoline locomotives.

The primary purpose of our invention is to provide an improved spring support or mounting for a railway car or locomotive which will permit of quick installation and removal of the spring and will eliminate the se of extraneous fastening means and parts.

lVe have also aimed to provide a side frame structure embodying a spring support in which the side frame is preferably a single piece casting having pedestal jaws and a retaining housing for the spring which. serves to support the side frame on the journal box. This single piece si-de frame provides a rigid and substantial structure and makes for simplicity in design and construction. he side frame and journal box are shaped to retain and hold the spring in operative position without the use of bolts or other fastening devices and are further shaped so that the spring may be quickly removed or installed.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a locomotive embodying our invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through one of the axles and its spring mounting;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken substantial ly on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

The locomotive shown in the drawing is of the type propelled by an internal combustion engine and adapted to be used either on a standard or narrow gauge track for general. hauling purposes, especially in connection with mining, lumbering, quarrying, road building, and in industrial plants.

The frame of the locomotive is cast to shape and may comprise either one or more parts. In some forms of our invention the sides 4 and bumpers 5 are integral as a one-piece casting and in others the sides and bumpers may be cast separately and suitably bolted together. Our invention has to do with the shape of the side frame in connection with the spring support at each end of each axle. Only a single illustration of the invention is given, showing its application to one of the front springs. It should be manifest, however, that the invention is applicable not only to a locomotive frame and spring support but to any railway car.

The fram t shape-*1 to provide pedestal jaws 10 which serve to guide the journal box 6 in the usual manner. The journal box, its axle and wheel may be of conventional construction.

The frame 4 is supported on the journal box through the agency of a half-elliptic leaf spring 7, the leaves of which are held together by a suitable strap or band 8. This strap seats in a recess 9 in the top of the journal box. The spring is thus located and held from displacement in a horizontal plane.

The side frame is further shaped to provide a transverse opening 11 of an over-all length greater than the spring and having a recess 12 at each end for reception of the adjacent end of the spring. The side walls of these recesses or pockets serve to retain and hold the spring from lateral displacement. The spring is thus retained in its operative position only by location is the recess 9 in the top of the journal box and by the recesses 12 in the frame, the supported weight serving, of course, to hold the spring in this position. It will be manifest, however, that upon raising the frame with respect to the journal box the spring will drop or follow the journal box, thus withdrawing the ends 13 of the spring from the recesses 12 and into registration with the ends 14 of the opening 11. In this position the spring may be withdrawn laterally through the opening 11 or may be inserted in position, as the case may be. The spring support is thus effected without the use of bolts or other extraneous or removable parts. It is obvious that this construction permits of quick removal or displacement of the springs and does not require the use of special tools either in assembly or repair work.

o claim:

1. A railway car having an integral side frame providing pedestal jaws and a spring housing, a journal box guided by said jaws, and a half-elliptic spring seated on the journal box and confined at its ends by walled recesses of said housing, the spring being removable laterally from the frame after having been lowered with respect thereto to withdraw its ends from between said recess walls.

2. A car frame one side of which is shaped to provide pedestal jaws and a transverse openin above and contiguous to said jaws, a journa box guided by the jaws, a half elliptic .ated in a recess in the top at the ou spring nal box, the said tranverse opening permitting lateral passage of the spring into and out of position above the journal box, the frame being shaped to provide a recess at each end of the said transverse opening for reception of the adjacent end of the spring, the side walls of said recesses holding the spring from lateral displacement.

3. In a railway car, a frame having pedestal a-ws and a transverse opening above and contiguous to said jaws, a journal box guided by said aws, a leaf spring interposed between the journal box and the frame, the frame having recesses in which the ends of the spring are normally confined from lateral displacement and which permit withdrawal of the spring downwardly when the journalbox is lowered with respect to the frame, said spring being removable from the frame laterally throughsaid opening when withdrawn from said recesses.

4-. A locomotive frame shaped to provide pedestal jaws, a transverse spring-receiving opening thereabove, and a downwardly opening retaining recess at each end of said opening adapted to receive the end of a halfelliptic spring, the side walls of said recesses serving to retain the spring from lateral placement, the spring being adapted to with draw downwardly from said recesses and laterally through said opening.

lVILLIAM C. VHITCOMB. lVILLIAM F. ECKERT. 

